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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

From the Plum Tree to your Home ~ Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving

We will be open Friday, November 28th at 10:00 AM

Open Your Heart...continued

Where is she I stuttered? “Why she’s out shopping, just like you”. Why didn’t I think of that, feeling foolish? “Do you have a moment he asked, I want to show you something.” I almost sprinted out the door, but something told me this man with the same gray eyes, was not going to harm me so I said sure. Reaching down under the counter he brought out an old leather photo album, rubbed smooth with age. The pages were hanging loosely once bound neatly in place.

As he opened the book, I was mesmerized with the old photographs; while he told me who each one was. Silence took over as I realized he was touching a photo of what looked like a young man in a uniform. He cleared his throat and began to tell me a wonderful story of a beautiful lady and a handsome man that fell in love many years ago. Marriage soon followed after a short courtship, and a baby boy came along on the day his father was taking his physical to join the US Army; this was in 1940 when the worst of WWII was just beginning.

This baby, I said, it’s you isn’t it? “Yes it is, he replied and the couple is Lucy and William Cole, my name is Bill. Just as he was about to continue his story, the bell tingled above the door; we both jumped and started to laugh. Bill said to go ahead and look through the album while he assisted his customers. Walking around the back of the counter, I laid my package on the floor, slung my purse on the back of the oversized office chair and sat down with the book lying carefully on my lap.

Bill gave me a quick smile and a wink when he came back to the counter wrapping the couple’s purchase and then sat down next to me. Continuing with his story, he said “I was very young when Dad went off to war; Mother and I went to stay with her aunt in Raleigh, NC. I didn’t learn until later in life that my Father only saw me one other time when he was on leave and that was the last time. At that moment, I realized his father died in the war and understood more about Lucy Cole.

I’m sorry, was all I could mutter, wondering what it would be like not to have a father. “Don’t worry yourself about it” was his reply. “We managed to get by at first with help from family, however the heartache was too much for my mother to endure and the memories were too strong so when I was 3 years old, we moved here.” “Time never did erase the memory of the man she lost at such a young age and although she tried to hide it from me, I always felt the same sadness.”

“Would you like to know more?” he asked, Yes! I almost yelled back then sheepishly, “please”

“Well then, Mom was a hard worker; she said a little hard work never hurt anyone. Holding down two cleaning jobs at night and studying secretarial skills during the day, Mom always made me feel like we were just a rich as the Rockefellers, no matter how poor we were.” “I stayed with a neighbor in our building at night and each morning Mom would come for me.”“At first we lived with hand-me-downs but after a while Mom would save enough money to purchase what she called an elderly.” I laughed, because I immediately knew she meant an antique. “Years past and when I was in high school, Mom decided to open her very own elderly shop.”

I could have sat there all day listening to the stories that went with each old photograph, however the day was getting away from me, and Bill was busy with his customers, so I politely excused myself. Before I left I asked Bill if he would be back.He replied he would be there Saturday only and after that he needed to head back to his job. I had already promised Mr. and Mrs. Gambino that I would help at the bakery Saturday and was feeling disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to come back to hear more stories. I mentioned this to Bill, he replied, “I’ll tell you what, if you bring me one of their famous bagels, we can meet for lunch.” Reaching in his pocket to hand me a few dollars, I yelled “on the house” and skipped out the door.

I still had to stop at Woolworths to pick out wrapping paper, which for some reason was harder for me then choosing the gift. I always waited to purchase my Dad’s gift of a pound of chocolate covered raisins, he loved them and I wanted to make sure I got the freshest ones just a day or two before Christmas.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Once again we had a wonderful Open House, a great turn out and a lot of new customers. We appreciate everyone's business, especially in these times. This week you will be seeing some of the great pieces that our newest dealer, Denise Coulter creates. She is quite the artist, crafter, painter and quilter.

Below is just one of the great fall pieces she created, perfect for your Thanksgiving decor. This is a large oval grapevine wreath with a dyed wool pumpkin which gives it a vintage appeal, and only $14.50Still plenty of fall decor to warm your home, Jeni has been busy doing more of her fall stitcheries. These make wonderful hostess gifts.

Next we have some original watercolors by Heather Ozee, these are called "Preserving the South" The background has the handwritten recipe with a warm wash over it. There are 4 pieces in this set. Prints are also available unframed.

Another cute wool pumpkin on an old thread spool, by Denise

My Home Town~ Open Your Heart ~ continued from last week

What a wonderful day it turned out to be. Great food, lots of laughter and sharing memories of Thanksgivings past, when Dad stated as he did every year, "this was the best Thanksgiving of them all," I agreed. Our family was keen on tradition and as always we shared Thanksgiving desert with our neighbors. It was like an extended family gathering, and by the end of the day I was so tired bedtime sounded good to me. Suddenly I remembered the package and the fact that my guest never arrived.

After saying my good nights, I went to my room, sat on the bed and held the package examining each side for a clue of who the sender might be. Almost afraid to open it, I carefully pulled down the paper bag wrapping and when each side was opened I gently folded the paper and put it aside. Inside the wrap was a yellowed and tattered box that once held a pair of baby shoes from Buster Brown. Heart pounding, I slowly lifted the top, inside was a shiney black ceramic cat with emerald cut glass eyes lying on a bed of cotton. Immediately I knew where it came from, but who would have sent it?

The next morning I couldn’t wait to get going, it was the biggest shopping day before Christmas and I already knew what I was going to buy each member of my family, I received my $31.00 check just the day before Thanksgiving and was ready to go. Jumping on the city bus, I headed to town where my first stop was the little antique shop. I reached for the door, and pushed down the latch but no matter how hard I pushed, the door would not open. Trying one more time, I cupped my hands together and peered through the glass. Normally the darkness inside was normal, but this time it made a chill run down my back.

I walked away feeling so sad I just wanted to go back home and jump into bed. However I had a list and a mission, so off I went. One street over was the music shop where I planned to pick up a new set of guitar strings for my sister. Walking back I noticed the back door of the antique shop was slightly open. I watched for a few minutes to see if anyone came out but after a while I decided to take a look myself. Walking cautiously to the door, I called out “hello” but there was no sound, once again I called out and this time I heard a faint sound coming from inside. Not wanting to walk in, I waited until the door swung open and a young man I had never seen came out. Not knowing what to say, I muttered, are you going to open today? He looked at me with the same gray eyes and stepping aside, said "you must be Katy."

Not waiting for me to answer, he continued “I had an early morning delivery and didn’t quite make it back in time to get the shop open; I was told you might be by!” Not wanting him to see the confused look on my face; I brushed past him into the main part of the store. After the lights were on, I made my way to my special section where I knew I would find something perfect for Mom and Grandma. Although I knew my Mom would say, “keep your hands to yourself”, I just had to touch each item ever so carefully.

“You let me know if I can get something down for you,” the man said. Alarmed by his voice I almost lost my grasp on the small dog statue I was holding. “I think my Mother will like this,” I said placing it gently on the counter. I would still like to look around a bit more. “Take you time” he said.

After several more minutes, I made my purchase and as I was turning to leave, he said, “you know, she talks about you.” Stopping dead in my tracks, not wanting to turn around, I muttered huh? “My Mom, she really does like you!" I slowly turned back to face him and when he smiled I could tell he was going to tell me more.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Don't forget this Sunday, November 16th from 12:00 until... we will be hosting our towns second annual Christmas Open House.

Bring a Friend and Enjoy the Day

I decided for the next few weeks, I would amuse you with a short story I wrote. It is a story of a young girl and an unlikely friend. Part of the story is true, however the settings I will leave to your imagination.

~ Open your Heart ~

you will be surprised at what it can do for your life.

When I was a child, I would tag along with my mother who had a passion for antiques as I do today. The proprietor of one particular store we visited often was a somber woman with gray eyes that cast a shadow over her face. Deep lines were weathered into her skin and when she spoke, her words were harsh and garbled.

When you entered her shop, a bell tingled over the door, I always said to Mom, “an angel just got her wings.” As always my Mom chuckled and I was delighted with my wit. The shop itself was often cold and poorly lit, however Mom could always find a diamond in the rough and make our trip a real treasure hunt.

Browsing the shop I would sometimes watch the woman and occasionally caught her watching me. I questioned my mother on why the woman was so sad, which she responded, “ I’ve told you she is not sad she is just a mean old lady!” I however never believed it.

As most children do, I grew tired of tagging along with my parents, however my love for antiques never waned and when I was old enough I started to scout antiques treasures of my own. Eight years later I found myself in that same old antique shop that I had forgotten all about.

When I opened the old wooden door, the tingle of the bell brought back memories of when I was younger and to further that feeling, there she stood, the same woman who for all of her years still looked the same. As I entered, I looked straight at her and with a big smile greeted her like an old friend. Her icy stare almost knocked me down, but I was determined now more then ever that I would somehow break through the sadness I knew this woman felt.

I visited as often as I could, sometimes every week and of course still being fairly young I could not afford a substantial piece of the past, but I did make a purchase each time, and little by little I broke down another barrier between me and the woman I knew I would eventually call my friend.

The year I turned 14, I got a job in a bakery just down the street from my favorite antique store and as it was nearing Thanksgiving, the town was busy with holiday shoppers, decorations for Christmas were going up and everyone eagerly waited for the time they were going to spend with their families, this is when I got an idea.

It was two days before Thanksgiving, as my Mom shopped and prepared for our own Thanksgiving feast, I wrote a special invitation…

The big day arrived and while we were busy making the last minute preparations, Dad went to get Grandma and my sister put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. No sooner did Dad get back, there was a faint knock on the door, so faint that if I had not been listening for it, it would have gone unnoticed. My anticipation was rising as I opened the door but my heart sank as I stood staring at a young man with a package in his hands, he handed the package to me and said it was for Katy. This was the first time in my life that I actually felt heartache, even though I knew it would not be my last. I took the package to my room and laid it gently on my bed, then joined the rest of my family for Thanksgiving dinner.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

We had the best time at our first Open House this past Sunday. I want to personally thank every one that came and made our day lots of fun!

Everyone raved about Jay's Brunswick stew, it had just enough kick to tingle your taste buds. We will be getting his recipe up next week for those of you who requested it.

I want to thank Joy, Denise 1 and Denise 2 who came and hung out all day to help and bring tasty treats, and to Emily who also brought by some goodies although she was not able to stay.

We got so many great compliments on how beautiful the store is, it always makes me feel good to know that the work we all put into it does not go unnoticed.

Our next Open House is Sunday November 16th, and this time you will be treated to my own personal Chili recipe although I know Jay is a hard act to follow.

I am only posting a few pictures this week, however next week I will post more prior to the Open House. We hope to see you there!

Libby just dropped Santa off today, he is in great shape, probably from the 1950's. We also have a sweet little angel, 2 lamp posts and a choir boy all from the same time period and all in working condition.

These adorable Santa's are made out of some sort of bristly material, they are also dated around the 50's. Our Christmas Room is not only decked out to the ceiling, it smells awesome with our Christmas Memories candles - we sold out of them the first week. ~ More coming ~This is another piece that Libby dropped off today. It is an incredible painted vintage window depicting bunnies in the snow. We have it sitting in the window and when the sun shown through, it looked almost life like. Great old miniature sewing table with printed measuring guide These angels are some collectibles pieces I picked up. They are just beautiful and we only have these three left. What a wonderful gift they will make. I have decided to sell my old cash register. It still works great.1940's White Cedar ~ Cedar chest with pop up drawer, ready to be refinished.

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If you're not in our area:

Just send us an email, let us know what you're interested in that you've seen in the photos, and I will be more that happy to ship to you! We just can't ship the furniture, but we'll be glad to send you just about anything else . . .